Hey! Remember this story? Anyone? Anyone at all? Huh, me neither :D

Thanks goes out to Jenny for help with this!

Chapter Fourteen: Falling Down

It had been a heavy workload for the thinly staffed night crew of the Las Vegas Crime Lab ever since Greg and Sara had left. Since their disappearance, and the aid of Catherine and Nick, it left only two people to handle the entire shift. And at this point in time, it wasn't working out very well.

Warrick was exhausted, and Grissom knew that he was, mainly because he himself was beyond exhausted as well. Juggling three cases, working through breaks with enough time off in between shifts to shower, eat and catch a few hours of sleep before repeating the entire process once again was just not working out.

Hiding a yawn the aging supervisor poured himself a cup of coffee, desperately missing the tantalizing flavor of the youngest CSI's infamous blend. At this point its location was unknown, but with some exploration it would soon be found. It was a disconcerting thought at this point.

Grissom had never thought that he would actually miss the quirky lab tech…former lab tech, he reminded himself quietly. Greg had proven himself over more than enough times. He knew the man was capable of almost any challenge, and that he exceeded expectations on an occasional basis. So why then was there still doubt lingering in the scientist's mind?

Of course, being with Sara the man should have even a better chance. Sara and Greg's teamwork skills were beyond average, up to almost outstanding. Not only did they get along well, but where one weakness fell, the other's strength filled in. This situation then, would be nothing more than the same; wouldn't it?

Letting out a sadden breath he finished his cup, moving back into his office. He had yet to hear from Catherine or Nick since that first night, but he knew either would call with immediate updates if something new came along. Part of him longed for the call, wanting to hear that the two had been found; petty details could be figured out later. Grissom hadn't believed any part of the story.

Greg was gentle, and even-tempered. He had yet to see the youth angry, or irrational. Sure Greg had been frustrated from time to time, but that was a small display of emotion compared to how others acted. No…Greg would never hurt anyone, least of all Sara.

Not only that, but Sara wouldn't have anything to do with it either. Grissom knew about her past, knew what she went through, the issues she still dealt with. He had seen Sara become violent on an occasional basis, having to hold her back from suspects, and separating her from another member of the team every so often. She was, obviously, much calmer now than she had been in the past. Even still, she would not succumb to anyone's demands. Plus the fact Grissom hardly believed that Greg would indeed be able to wrestle control away from Sara in the first place.

With the ringing of the phone going off in one ear he closed his eyes, half deciding not to answer it. He wanted the update, but sometimes no news was the best option. With a sigh he reached over, picking it up on the third ring. After all, he wasn't certain who it was.

"The first victim's COD was strangulation, correct?"

Grissom frowned, already sorting through the folders on the desk. "I thought you were there to find Sara and Greg," he responded instead as his fingers came in contact with the folder he was looking for.

"Trust me, I'm going somewhere with this," Catherine replied mildly. "Well?"

"COD was strangulation," Grissom nodded. "But how does this help?"

"The second victim bled out. Two puncture wounds to the chest. The swim suit hid the original wounds, so Greg and Sara wouldn't have seen that until a full autopsy was preformed. The second body then was a decoy. Someone somehow got a hold of the case Greg and Sara were working on, and recreated it."

"Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?"

She let out a prolonged sigh. "Just listen to me. Nothing is matching up except for the position of the bodies. Everything else is just a cheap imitation. Plus take in the fact the responding officer that gave his statement has disappeared. Nick was able to pull his phone records; Mckinely has been contacting someone in the Las Vegas area."

"Have you told anyone at the Oregon Crime Lab this?" Grissom wondered.

"We've tried, but no one's listening. I'm going to give you the number, find out who it belongs to. Number just forwards us to an automated voice mail. Have Archie try and isolate it, will you?"

"This is out of my hands Catherine," Grissom reminded her. "If I interfere with the case at all, it'll never make it to court."

"I don't care if it goes to court," she spat at him wearily. "Right now I want to find Greg and Sara, and to do that we need to know what we are up against."

"So you haven't found them yet?"

"Sure we have," she remarked sarcastically, "They're sitting right here behind me."

"That is uncalled for, you know," he reminded her, scowling as she ignored his response and instead rattled the number off. He would personally like to see the case go to court, take down whoever was responsible, but at the same time he knew that Catherine was right. With a final few words he set the phone back down, moving to his feet as he made his way out into the hall. He couldn't only hope that Catherine wasn't getting herself into more trouble than necessary.

Sara ran her fingers through her tangled hair, letting out a slight shiver as she moved her arms around her torso once more. The small drops of rain hit her face, stinging it gently as she followed behind Greg. He didn't seem to mind the weather, or if he did he had yet to say anything.

Their pace had been much slower than it had on any of the other days. They were both drained, and not just physically. She was fearful of another repeat of this morning, and made a point of traveling slowly. Sara wasn't sure if she could handle another episode. When Greg had passed out the first time she was afraid that may not wake up. She could still hear his chilling words from before, and even though she had promised, Sara knew that it was something she couldn't carry out.

Ahead of her Greg had slowed down even more, and it wasn't until she was standing next to him that she noticed he had stopped completely. For a moment she watched him questioningly, and then frowned as he squatted, fingers encircling an empty water bottle.

"What are you thinking?"

She had asked the question after several long minutes of silence, watching as Greg turned the bottle over in his hand. On the ground next to where the bottle had been was a handful of wrappers, and he grasped them in his fingers as well.

"They're not ours," Greg remarked quietly, his gaze shifting from the ground to the trails that were ahead. "It has to be our Officer…it's the same brand and everything."

"They could be months old Greg," Sara told him softly. She didn't want to dash all their hopes, but neither did she want to raise them falsely.

There wasn't anything he could say against that. Expiration dates were of no use, not with protein bars and bottled water. He let out a sigh, crumbling them in his hands. He was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and miserable. But at least he was alive.

"I still say it's from Mckinely. He had to have some sort of compass or something…" He closed his eyes, letting himself rest for a moment. "We should follow this trail, see where it leads."

"How do you know that's going to take us somewhere?"

"Do you have any other ideas?" Greg snapped at her, cursing lightly under his breath. "I'm sorry…I'm just…I don't know what else to do."

"You're right," Sara told him, not wanting him to feel out of place. She knew that Greg was only trying to help, and who was she to judge him? "We'll give it a try."

"But you don't trust me," Greg moved to his feet, letting out a sigh. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked as though he was the walking dead himself. She cringed, wondering if she mirrored those same features in herself.

"I do…it's just…"

"Then you choose," he stated firmly, crossing his arms.

"Greg…don't start," she pleaded with him, trying to calm him down. She knew he was irritated; she herself was riding on thin patience. But fighting now would help neither of them. "I do trust you, I'm just trying to keep other options in my mind."

"I know," Greg groaned inwardly, rubbing his forehead. "I just don't think I can do this anymore."

He had turned bitter, his gaze drifting down as he bit his lip. There was a slight tremble in his hand as Sara grasped it, holding it in her own warm fingers. For a moment they stood there like that, but Greg still refused to meet her gaze, so she took a step closer to him, wrapping an arm around his torso as she pulled him into a gentle embrace.

Sara was grateful when he returned it, just standing their for a moment, imagining what it would be like if they were truly together as she had fantasized. She blushed at first, scolding herself mentally, but then she realized that this may be the final time to say any last regrets.

"Greg…" she let out a sigh pulling back. She was going to finish talking, going to say something, but he just shook his head.

"Not now, we need to keep moving."

She was going to protest, but didn't have much time, realizing only then that Greg still had a hold of her hand. She fell into step behind him easily, smiling slyly at the small anticipation. Even if it was only for a brief moment, she could pretend.

It was a good thing he was holding her hand still, it being the only thing that kept her from falling as the sharp pain worked its way up her leg. She had actually stumbled, and nearly pulled Greg down with her. With his help he was able to steady her, or at least get her to the ground in one piece.

"What happened?"

She shook her head, entirely unaware herself to as why her leg was suddenly going numb, and yet at the same time swelling with pain. She gritted her teeth, letting out a sigh as she grasped the leg of her pant, pulling it up to reveal the already swelling skin below.

"I think…maybe a sprain…or something…." She breathed, closing her eyes in a vague attempt to block out the pain.

She could feel his fingers on her skin, and she flinched in pain, not even hearing his quiet apologies as he continued to explore.

"It's a bite," he remarked quietly, looking back up at her. Sara managed to crack one eye open, watching him questioningly. Looking down again she could see the blood flowing freely, wincing as Greg wiped away the crimson fluid to reveal the two tiny puncture wounds.

"It….can't be that bad, can it?" she wondered, asking herself more than she was Greg, but the man answered anyways with a short shake of his head.

"I don't know, but we shouldn't waste any time."

He was already on his feet, offering a hand to her, and she glared at him in response. Did he actually expect her to walk like this?

"Greg…"

She let out a yelp of surprise as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her feet. She balanced easily on her one leg, holding the other in the air as she glared at him. "What are you trying to do?"

"We can't stay," he told her firmly, still holding onto her. "Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?"

"I'll walk," she muttered quietly, placing her foot down on the ground tentatively. She winced in pain as she put more weight on it, but was able to manage a small hobble. Greg was no longer holding onto her, but following behind at a close distance, watching with mild distaste. At this rate they would never get out of here, but Sara was determined enough.

Nervously he glanced behind him, checking in among the rocks for any sign of the animal that could be the culprit. He would assume snake at his first thought, but at the same time he didn't know if there were any around in this area. What else would it be then, if not a snake? Whatever the case, it wasn't of importance, at least not at the moment. What was important was the fact they needed to get out of here…and soon.

TBC